FANDANGO APPOINTS PAUL YANOVER AS PRESIDENT

Published 10:47 PM ET Sat, 10 Nov 2012
PR Newswire

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 1, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Fandango, the nation's leading moviegoer destination, has appointed former Disney digital executive Paul Yanover to the newly created position of President. He will report to Nick Lehman, President of Digital for NBCUniversal Entertainment Networks & Integrated Media.

Yanover will lead the company's overall business strategy, taking Fandango to the next level of success as a multi-platform entertainment brand. Specifically, he will focus on significantly growing its original content offerings across mobile, TV and the Web, as well as expanding strategic partnerships with the movie studios, driving social engagement and building on Fandango's strong e-commerce foundation. Yanover also will be charged with enhancing all aspects of the overall Fandango moviegoing experience, as the company continues to innovate with new products that shape the future of the industry.

"Paul is the ideal leader to build on the incredible momentum of this business, as Fandango broadens its offerings for consumers, advertisers as well as exhibitors -- and maximizes the unique benefits of being a part of NBCUniversal," said Lehman. "His wealth of experience at the intersection of entertainment and technology will help Fandango continue to redefine the way we think about the movies."

Rick Butler, Fandango's Executive Vice President and General Manager, will report to Yanover and continue to run the company's day-to-day operations, including managing relationships with exhibitors and other key partners. Butler and the Fandango team recently achieved the company's best summer season in its 12-year history, in terms of ticket sales and traffic, now reaching 41 million monthly unique visitors.

"Fandango stands as one of the most exciting and innovative players in the digital entertainment space," said Yanover. "I look forward to working with Fandango's impressive team. They have clearly built an enormously successful company, and I am excited to take the business to new heights."

A seasoned entertainment, ecommerce and technology veteran, Yanover brings more than two decades of experience to his new post. Yanover served as executive vice-president and managing director of Disney Online, the entertainment and lifestyle digital product group of the Disney Interactive Media Group. He grew traffic across the digital brands to peak at 36M unique visitors – a 50% increase – and more than tripled ad revenue. In this role, he oversaw all Disney-branded strategic, creative, technical, and marketing initiatives on the Internet and mobile web, from Disney.com to Disney's suite of premium digital products including online games, virtual worlds and streaming service Disney Movies Online.

Yanover also led development of Disney's network of family-targeted sites including Family.com, FamilyFun.com, Kaboose.com, and Babyzone.com and drove unprecedented engagement with consumers and advertisers across multiple platforms, including video streams and mobile content delivery. Prior, Yanover served as senior vice-president of Disney Parks & Resorts Online, overseeing the ecommerce business across Disney's resorts and theme parks worldwide, leading to more than a 300% increase in overall online revenue during his tenure. Yanover began his career with Disney at Walt Disney Feature Animation, ultimately becoming vice president of technology and digital production for the division.

Yanover was also co-founder and CEO of Ceiva Logic, a consumer electronics company featuring the world's first Internet-connected digital picture frame and digital picture-sharing network. Yanover led the company in raising more than $24 million in capital and helped push annual sales to exceed $10 million. He also achieved impressive penetration of the company's product into major national retailers including Amazon.com and Circuit City.

Most recently, he was the head of Lookout Interactive Media, a consulting practice in the digital media, entertainment and technology space serving both established media companies and early-stage startups. He also served as interim-CEO and executive chairman of Examiner.com, where he remains a member of the board. Examiner.com is a top 100 website in the US, operating as a part of the Clarity Media Group.

Yanover received his Master's Degree in Computer Science from USC and holds an Honors Bachelors of Science Degree in Computer Science & Economics from the University of Western Ontario. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife and two children.

About Fandango

Fandango, the nation's leading moviegoer destination, sells tickets to nearly 20,000 screens nationwide. Fandango entertains and informs consumers with reviews, commentary, celebrity interviews and trailers, and offers the ability to quickly select a film, plan where and when to see it, and conveniently buy tickets in advance. At many theaters, fans can print their tickets at home or receive them as a paperless Mobile Ticket on their smartphones.

Fandango is available online at www.fandango.com, via smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices, and at 1-800-FANDANGO. Fandango's top-ranking movie ticketing apps, with 26 million downloads, are available on the iPhone and iPad, Android, BlackBerry, Windows Phone 7 and many other platforms. Fandango is enjoyed by more than 41 million online and mobile visitors per month. Film fans find Fandango on Facebook at www.facebook.com/fandango and on Twitter @Fandango.